He remains a popular character for those aged 18-49, claims new THQ president Jason Rubin.

Naughty Dog co-founder and recently appointed THQ president Jason Rubin is hopeful that Crash Bandicoot can be returned to his former glory by Activision.

Although Rubin believes there hasn't been a solid Crash game since Naughty Dog's final effort in the franchise - Crash Team Racing in 1999 - research says the character remains hugely popular.

"He is still a very endearing character with a huge fan base," explained Rubin. "In 2010, I looked at Crash's Q Scores - rankings done by a third party for every major intellectual property. Crash does incredibly well for a character that has had such a long hiatus from the spotlight. This is especially true with adults 18 to 49. Those that remember playing Crash remember him fondly."

And despite leaving Crash behind all those years ago for Jak and Daxter, Rubin hasn't given up on seeing another quality game staring the bandicoot.

"When Activision merged with Vivendi Universal - itself a merger of Vivendi and Universal Interactive - the Crash rights passed to Activision's hands," said Rubin. "I have high hopes that they will someday dust off Crash and bring him back to his original glory."

Rubin's comments come from Morgan Ramsay's recent book release Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play, an exclusive extract of which can be found on GamesIndustry.